Thoughts for another day

March 1, 2007

Today's verse: Judges 10:16. …and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel. (KJV)
(Pls. read the above before you read further. Thanks)

There is this psalm: Great is Your Name Lord, its Majesty fills the earth. When we sing it, we hardly bother to understand why the psalmist wrote it. Has he written it because he saw God’s greatness in the moon and the stars? Or, because God, gave him control over all the things of the earth?

Think about it. I believe, the clue lies in verse 4…’what is man that Thou are mindful of him?’ We know that God is truly great and majestic. There is no, and can never be, any comparison with Him whatsoever. The sun and even greater stars as scientists claim to exist, pale in comparison before God. Yet, when it comes to man, it is as if God forgets how great He is. Just look at what Jesus did. He came as a very common man and died a miserable death. And Jesus is God. He left His glory behind and came to earth, a weakling! It’s because He loved man. It’s because man is precious to Him.

Now think about the many diverse ways we offend God. Really if someone would offend me like that, I would cut off completely from that person. Never talk to him nor have anything to do with him, ever. The Israelites offended God with the worst sins. Their perversity was abhorrent. They even exchanged the Glory of the living God and embraced idols made by man with its compulsive rituals; this they did to satisfy their carnal needs. They wanted a god who would be there at their beck and call. They wanted to drum up his presence with their sordid dances and slashing of wrists, etc. They thought such neurotic acts could bring their god to them and answer their prayers. They terribly insulted God Yahweh making a mockery of Him, the Most High. So God with a heavy heart abandoned them.
Isn’t this story familiar today too?

But the story doesn’t end here. When the Israelites turned their faces and cried out to God Almighty, He relented. My friend, today’s verse says that. In fact, it says even more…His soul was grieved. He was saddened to the core! And He came to their aid. See how beautiful is the God we serve. Ever willing to forgive. In my mind’s eye when I see myself calling out to Him after a fall, I see Him running towards me, just as the father of the prodigal son and embracing me, the super filth, and giving me a new robe and a ring on which is stamped, ‘My beloved child’.